I stumbled across it looking for a ciabatta bread recipe thinking that this may give me a few suggestions on how to get a better aerated crust for my standard oven. In section two, under "Factors Effecting Fermentation - Yeast Growth" the second paragraph supports what Petezza has been saying for some time - less yeast is better with longer fermantation. I did not understand all the information about yeast, however, I do have more knowledge on things to consider.

I was particularly interested in the Ciabatta - Indirect Method (Poolish #1) for a pizza correlation.

I hope you enjoy the links as much as I did.

Finally, I would like to confirm that I have had great success with spraying a fine mist of water on the rim of my crust just prior to it entering the oven and doing it again 2 minutes before removal - this tip is probably only for standard ovens (8~12 minute cooking time). The crust does brown better and if you get the hydration right, the base is light and airy with a delicate crunch on the outer rim - delightful.

Regards,

Wazza McG

Logged

Fair Dinkum - you want more Pizza! Crikey ! I've run out out them prawny thingymebobs again!

I must suggest you try the ciabatta recipe in "The Bread Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbaum. It seems after trying many different recipes this has been the one that I can use with consistant results, always good. Don't buy the book, just get it at your library. Buy the book if you like what you see. If you are into ciabatta this is an easy loaf. I do shorten the final rise to 45 minutes because this dough is so active the holes actually become too large.

Interestingly, it has been shown that at lower levels, rather than being detrimental, salt actually exerts a favorable influence on yeast fermentation, A series of studies have shown that the use of 0.5 to 1.0% salt in the sponge of a sponge-and-dough process resulted in reductions in the fermentation time, while at the same time producing a better quality bread than was obtained with a sponge containing 0.15% or no salt.